42 Of Police and Criminals

Natasha took a deep breath, then explained what Elena had done to all those girls who'd gone on dates with David. She even told him about the detective Elena had imprisoned for a few months.

As David heard Natasha speak, his eyes gradually widened in utter disbelief. He was speechless for a very long time. In the end, he asked, "Why would she do that? Wait, no, it's obvious why she did it. What I mean to say is… is she really that… jealous?"

"Jealous?" Natasha smiled awkwardly. "Young miss is a bit… obsessive when it comes to you."

'Obsessive?' David incredulously thought as his lips twitched. 'She's clearly a yandere.' He was beginning to realize why she had always stuck to him back in school. As a kid, he had never really noticed anything off, but now he couldn't help but wonder just what Elena had seen in him when they were kids for her to be so head over heels for him.

In the end, he couldn't help but sigh. He had thought he was finally ready to talk to her, and he'd even realized that he might have overreacted with her that night at the Cosmopolitan. But now he learned that she had actually been deported from the country.

"So, she's gone back to France, eh?" David asked with a bitter smile. Inwardly, he was also shocked that Elena could so easily get away with a string of murders in this country. He couldn't help but wonder just how powerful her family really was.

Natasha simply nodded. "Although she can never come back to the US, that doesn't mean you can't go to France."

"I see." David nodded, then recalled something and continued, "More than two years ago when Elena abruptly left school and went back to France, what was that for?"

"When the children in our clan turn sixteen, they have to undergo a coming-of-age ceremony," Natasha began. "It's during that ceremony that they officially advance to a Rank 1 Bloodline Wizard. A great deal of importance is placed on the ceremony, which is why she had to leave."

David turned silent as he thought, 'So it was indeed an emergency, Elena….' His mood turned complicated as he remembered the day she had kissed him on the cheek at the pier on Coney Island. 'Still… you could've at least said something.'

Sensing the change in the young man's mood, Natasha could only sigh and change the topic. "Mr. Watson, you should begin meditating and recuperate your spiritual force. Then I'll help you acclimatize with your new bloodline ability."

David snapped out of his thoughts and solemnly nodded, then closed his eyes and began meditating the way described in the Tome of Nightshade.

...

The same night, on the roof of a skyscraper in Brooklyn, a middle-aged man with a sturdy build and thinning hair was smoking a cigarette and gazing at the Manhattan skyline in the distance.

He was wearing black trousers, a white shirt, and a red tie around his neck. And over his shirt, he was wearing a khaki windbreaker. He was none other than Detective Phil Greyson. Earlier today, he had received a text message from an unknown number.

When he saw the text and who the person identified themselves as, he was slightly taken aback. After all, he hadn't heard from them in more than two months and thought something might have happened to them.

Just as he was inhaling the smoke of his cigarette, a figure emerged from the shadows behind him and greeted, "Detective."

Phil nearly jumped in fright as he hadn't heard any footsteps whatsoever before the figure greeted him. He turned around, and when his gaze fell on the person, he was dumbstruck. "David! What the hell happened to you!?"

The last time he had seen the youth, he had brown hair and brown eyes. But now he seemed to have had a complete makeover. But more importantly, the detective felt a wild and savage aura from David, making his heart palpitate.

Seeing this old acquaintance of his, David sighed. He walked and stood right beside him and replied, "Shit happened."

Phil's eyebrows twitched, then he recalled something and asked in astonishment, "Kid, what's your relationship with that girl from the Moreau Family!?"

David wasn't surprised that Phil would ask him about Elena. Natasha had already told him about what'd transpired between Elena and the government officials. He stood silent for a long time, then replied, "It's… complicated."

Phil looked at him and simply nodded. He didn't tell the teenager about the Moreau Family's background, nor did he bring up the topic of Elena killing all those innocent women. He figured David already knew about those things.

He took a puff of his cigarette and asked, "So, what'd you call me here for? It's not for a simple chat, now is it?"

David's expression turned solemn. He looked at Phil and replied, "Detective, I'm planning to completely eradicate the Rosetti Family. And I need your help."

Phil's eyes widened in shock. "You're planning to break Omerta? No, more importantly, are you seriously gonna betray your family?"

"Betray?" David's eyes narrowed and his voice turned cold. "They were the ones who betrayed me."

Phil shuddered in fear as he saw the look on David's face. He involuntarily gulped as he replied, "We have no concrete evidence to take them down. And even if we did, there are too many people higher up on the food chain that are on the Rosetti Family's payroll. It's nearly impossible."

David took out a folded piece of paper from his jeans pocket. "Here are the addresses of all their storehouses in Brooklyn and Queens. There should be enough evidence there. As for your superiors, figure it out yourself."

Phil looked at the addresses on the paper and his eyes lit up. But then he felt a headache coming on when he thought about how to convince his superiors. He knew most of them were corrupt, and only a few were true to their badges.

David continued, "You take care of the small fry and leave the consigliere, the underboss, and the don to me."

"You… what're you planning to do with them?" Phil asked.

David coldly muttered, "I'm gonna kill them and everyone they hold dear."

"No!" Phil adamantly refused, then habitually said, "You can't kill them, they must be imprisoned and brought to justice for all their crimes."

"Justice?" David sneered. "Didn't think you were so naive, detective. There is no justice in this world."

With that, he turned and walked away. As his figure was completely enshrouded by the darkness, his parting words echoed inside Phil's ears. "And Detective, don't try to be a hero and get in between me and my prey."

Phil stood there for a long time as his fists repeatedly clenched and unclenched. The memory of his partner—Olivia's father—dying in his arms during a mafia shootout appeared in his mind. Although his partner's killer was made to stand trial and even imprisoned, he was released within a year.

His eyes shone with resolve and he seemed to have come to a decision. He looked at the spot where David had magically vanished and repeated his words with a bitter smile, "No justice in this world, eh?"